Bowel Cancer Ireland criticises 'incremental' expansion of screening programme 

HSE National Screening Service public health medicine consultant Dr Alan Smith, GP advisor Dr Sarah Fitzgibbon, and patient advocates, Mary Kennedy and Peter Larner, at a HSE event to launch the expansion of the bowel screen programme. Picture: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

A row has broken out over how slowly the HSE’s bowel screen programme is expanding to cover different ages.

The HSE announced on Tuesday it will expand the programme to cover people aged between 57 and 71, starting this week. It means an extra 116,000 people are eligible, as the cut-off was previously 58.

However, Bowel Cancer Ireland have criticised this for lacking ambition.

Brendan Donlon, co-chairman of the group and a stage 3 bowel cancer survivor, acknowledged lives could be saved by this expansion, but added: “We cannot allow incremental progress to be presented as ambition. Moving from 58 to 57 is not a strategy, it is a delay dressed up as progress.

"The evidence has pointed to 45 for years. Ireland is not acting on it."

He pointed to National Cancer Registry Ireland data showing bowel cancer among under-50s has almost doubled over the past 25 years.

The group’s frustrations centre around advice from Hiqa previously to expand the programme to cover ages 55 to 74. 

This target was also advised in the National Cancer Strategy 2017.

“Today's announcement brings the lower age limit to 57, still two years short of even that long-overdue commitment,” Bowel Cancer Ireland said.

Mr Dolan called on people to protect their health.

"If you are 45 or older, ask your GP about bowel cancer screening at every annual checkup,” he urged.

Symptoms potentially of concern if they persist over time include changes in bowel habit, blood, unexplained weight loss, persistent bloating.

Dr Alan Smith: 'Not all cancers or polyps bleed all the time, so a normal result does not guarantee that cancer isn’t present.' Picture: Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland

The HSE said expansions have seen an extra 293,000 people become eligible since October 2023.

It plans to continue expanding to reach 55 to 74, it said.

Anyone who has not received an invitation to screening but is in the right age range, can request a free test kit on the HSE website.

It estimates around 3,000 people every year have growths called polyps removed from their bowel after screening identified they were at risk.

“These are all potential cancers prevented”, a spokeswoman said.

Public health medicine consultant with the National Screening Service Dr Alan Smith explained how screening helps prevent cancers.

“It looks for a level of blood in your sample and if that bleeding is above a certain level we will invite you for a follow up procedure called a colonoscopy to find the cause of the bleeding,” he said.

“Not all cancers or polyps bleed all the time, so a normal result does not guarantee that cancer isn’t present. This is why it is so important to be aware of symptoms of bowel cancer and go to your GP immediately even if you had a recent normal screening result.” 

He stressed that screening is not a diagnostic test, however.

• Read more about bowel cancer in the Irish Examiner supplement The Bottom Line .